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Chriss: More on the line for O'Rourke than Abbott in Friday's gubernatorial debate

The 3NEWS political analyst says many have forgotten the governor's perceived gaffes, such as 2021's power-grid failure.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Politics will take center stage Friday as Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and Democrat Robert “Beto” O’Rourke are set to appear in their only scheduled debate ahead of the upcoming election.

The debate comes as most polls show the governor with a lead over the former congressman in what will still be the most serious challenge Abbott has yet to face.

Usually, when we talk about Friday night matchups, we’re talking about high-school football – and you can bet that we’ll have plenty of that.

But Friday night, the lights will also be shining in the Rio Grande Valley in a debate that means more to the challenger than the incumbent.

Most polls show a single-digit lead for Abbott – somewhere between 7 and 9 percentage points. According to 3News political analyst Bill Chriss, that makes Friday night’s debate one in which much is at stake for O’Rourke.

 “For Abbott, the script is: no gaffes, don’t make any big mistakes, don’t lay any eggs,” Chriss said. “And for Beto, he’s going for the knockout punch.”

Both candidates have experience in big-time debates and have spent time on the campaign trail outlining their stance on a clear set of issues, including border security, gun violence and abortion rights.

 “I think the only way Beto can really get some traction is on the abortion issue, where something like 80 percent of Americans, and roughly the same percentage of Texans, are against all-out bans on abortion that have no exceptions for things like rape and incest,” he said.

O’Rourke is expected to try to make the case that Abbott has become too extreme and has failed as governor, particularly when it comes to fixing the power grid following last year’s big freeze.

 “The good news for Governor Abbott is that a lot of the things that really made people mad, like the freeze and the power grid failure and the brownouts, those things are moving into the distant past and they’re not immediately on people’s minds,” Chriss said.

For his part, Abbott is expected to outline his vision for a third term. Beyond that, his message to voters is likely to be simple and direct.

 “His best argument, and the one he’s been wailing away at in his advertising, is that Beto’s too liberal for Texas,” he said.

As to whether voters in Texas agree, we’ll know soon enough. The election is Nov. 8.

The debate will take place at the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley in Edinburg.

It’s only slated for one hour, and you can watch it here on KIII, online at KIIITV.com, or on our digital platforms beginning at 7 p.m.

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